Does a 2012 Cervelo P2 fit?

http://www.slowtwitch.com/stackreach.html

There is a list of the geometries of the bikes. 

A 56cm P2 is 53.1/42.9 or 51.2/41.8 for a 54
A Large SC is 54.1/42.6 or 51.7/40.8 for a Medium
XL Transition is 54.2/42.1 or 52.6/40.5 for a Large
MD Blue is 53.9/39.8

I'm far from a fitter but the Blue sounds the closest to 54/38.5 to me. 

Sometimes people on this board make it seem like you can actually find out the answer to your question. In reality...it is VERY difficult to determine which bike fits you better. It is like putting on 10 different pairs of jeans and trying to determine the circumferential difference in each one.

Even if a bike DOES fit you for a particular purpose (less aggressive and relaxed) it may not fit you perfectly another position as well (dropped down, aggressive, etc).

A good fitter can get you feeling "pretty" good on almost any bike that can be adjusted. For this reason it is very difficult to determine whether the one bike is "pretty" good and another is "even prettier" good. lol.

When I got to the point where I felt great on either bike I just looked at price, brand, color, the shop who was selling it etc. Even professional athletes are consistently tweaking their fit and bikes etc. 

1. The LBS is right in saying that Cervelo frames are better suited to long torso / short legs

2. Modern bike frames / componenents are very adjustable. You can make pretty much any frame fit any person as long as the frame size is fairly close. 

3. Cervelo P2 is hardly an 'entry level' tri bike.

4. The P2 is a wonderful bike. Its like the Porshe 911 - a timeless classic that still outperforms most modern up-and-commers. (I'm biased - I ride a 2009 P2)

 5. The Trek and Specialized make excellent Tribikes and I would not get hung up on the Cervelo brand. if I found a well fitting Speedconcept or Transition at a great price, I'd be riding that.

Aside from the new bars, I read/heard that the bump is passing along additional costs due to the weak $ raising the manufacturing cost. Instead of bumping the existing 2011 price, they are tacking it on the 2012.

that has to be the case, as well as more expensive raw input prices. i have the 2011 P2 and just looked at the specs for the 2012,  all the same...doesn't even mention the bars difference.

• Fork: Cervelo FK26
• Headset: FSA-IS3
• Seatpost: Cervelo Aero TT
• Shifters: Shimano Dura-Ace
• Rear Derailleur: Shimano Ultegra
• Front Derailleur: Shimano Ultegra
• Brake Calipers: FSA Gossamer Pro
• Brake Levers: Vision Aero Levers
• Crankset: FSA Gossamer (50/34)
• Bottom Bracket: FSA Mega Exo
• Saddle: fizik Arione Tri2
• Cassette: Shimano Ultegra 12-25
• Chain: Shimano Ultegra
• Wheels: Shimano R500
• Tires: Vittoria Rubino Pro Slick

Almost the same thing for myself (also P4).  I have long legs so I don't particularly agree with the statement that Cervelos are "better for long torsos / short legs".  Maybe in the UCI-legal saddle position, but that's true for all bikes.  A lot of the issues of saddle -> bar drop and reach are easily addressed by selecting the proper size frame.

My main concern with the Blue is that there isn't a local dealer so I can't test ride the bike. In fact, I'm hesitant to buy a bike from someplace other than my LBS.

I do like the way the Blue bikes look though. Especially, the blue (color, not brand) one. I know red is faster , but every other bike out there (including my roadie) is red and black.

I'm not particularly caught up in the Cervelo brand. I know they make great bikes but I don't like the idea of having a difficult time finding my bike in T1 among the sea of cervelos. I'm a slow swimmer so I guess most of them will be gone by the time I get to T1 

I admit I really like the looks of the P2. I'm probably placing too much emphasis on the aesthetics of the bike. My perception is that the components are better on the P2 then the comparable priced bikes that I'm looking at (Transition Comp & Blue Triad SP). I believe the bars on the 2012 P2 are carbon and the brakes are supposed to be upgraded.

The P2 uses Ultegra while the Triad SP and Transition Comp uses Rival. Isn't Rival comparable to 105's?

Your point is well taken on making too many compromises and ending up with a bike that doesn't fit or has been tweaked so much that it doesn't handle properly. That's my prime concern with the P2. It's likely I will end up purchasing the Transition. It's a nice looking bike too. Not having a local dealer for the Blue Triad SP is a major drawback to me.

Stem: 3T RRX-PRO

Handlebar: 3T Aura Pro Aero / Clip-On

 

Shifters: Shimano SL-BS79

 

Brake Levers: Profile ABS aero

 

I thought the LBS said the head tube may be slightly different but I may be "misremembering" (as Roger Clemens says)

 

How's your flexibility? That's another factor for me.

The fitter is recommending that I purchase a medium Transition (stack=51.6, reach=39.5) She said that both are important, but the reach needs to be pretty close.

She's right. The length is harder to adjust than the height. And it's easier to add length than to take it away.

I recently bought a 2011 P2. It's certainly a very nice bike, though I'm still getting used to riding it. I have short-ish legs and a long torso, which is not so great for triathlon, though it turns out to be convenient for fitting a P2. The fitter was able to extend the reach slightly by replacing the Cervelo stem with a longer one nabbed from a Cannondale. It sounds like with your dimensions it could be tough to fit you to a P2. Don't worry - you're going to end up with a very nice ride whatever happens. Give yourself a little time to get used to the new position, but after not very long you can look forward to going a chunk faster than you did before.

The fitter said that I'm bending with my upper back and shoulders rather than my lower back. Kinda "hunched back".

The fitter also siad my hamstrings were extremely unflexible.

I don't know how that affects my fit or if it impacts my ability to go low/aero. Just passing on info from the fitter.

Any input that you have Shane will be greatly appreciated. I respect your opinion.